Know Who You Are

Know who you arenYou are the wonderful creature born in the image of GodnnWhat does “man was created in God’s own image” mean?nIt means that man is similar to God. Using more precise words, the potential for this similarity exists in man.nWe know man has two dimensions of development: physical and spiritual. We believe God has no body, but He has an impressive spiritual dimension, whose power is expressed in the creation of the universe and its development. Yet we too have a spiritual dimension, a dimension in continual development, by which we were created in God’s own image. We will recognize this similarity more and more as we delve into this book’s content.nnThis divine declaration’s logic and truthnIf we examine humanity since man’s appearance in nature, we could point to some typical phenomena:nAs of his first appearance, man mentally develops and creatively advances in an unconscious fashion towards progress, as though propelled by some cause. Will this progress ever stop? What will be in a hundred years, in a thousand years? Barring possible causes such as natural or man-made disasters and bringing the known developmental system of man in account, the answer will be negative.nMoreover: his development will accelerate, as we already witness today. If we draw a curve representing man’s development up until now, and continue it, we will recognize that at some time in the infinite, if we will exist, we will grow close to God’s ability. Therefore, this declaration by God is logical and probably also true. Yes, this is the way God created us, and this is how He expects us to develop and fulfill our divine role. Therefore man was created to succeed, and there is no goal he cannot achieve in due time. Almost every past fantasy has been realized and, to the same degree, it can be supposed that in the future, today’s fantasies will also come true.nnHow big is the divine empire?nUp until a thousand years ago, it was customary to think that the entire universe consists of the Earth and that the sun, stars and moon are day and night lights which light up the earth. Today we know the universe contains hundreds of millions of galaxies and that in each galaxy are hundred of billions of visible and invisible stars – and this is probably not the last word. In layman’s terms it can be said, that the number of stars is approximately equal to the number of grains of sand on all Earth’s beaches. We also know that the sun is a star and that Earth is one of the planets encircling this star. We also know that Earth is the solar system's only planet containing life, and this life’s complexity is a world in itself.nIs it not a probable supposition, that some of the planets surrounding one of these stars will be found to have life, more or less developed? That the being which rules it, will be more or less similar to man and that each such planet is also an entire world in itself? I believe such a supposition has a basis.nImagine now the scale of this divine empire, run precisely and automatically from the moment of its creation, and imagine how powerful the intelligence which created and developed this infinite universe must be.nnMan’s place in the universenWithin this infinite creation, God positioned us as similar to Him. As his deputies, so to say. Can anyone imagine the meaning of having an ability similar to God’s? What values and potentials a human being must posses to be this way? It is logical to suppose that in order to posses it, God must have instilled within us all the necessary means. My claim is that it is indeed so.nSimilarly to Columbus, who in setting out on his voyage of discovering America had to postulate the existence of earth to the West, so we have to suppose that the truth about man exists someplace. On the assumption that man's truth exists in the divine declaration and not in the opinions we have of ourselves, we must agree that our values are far more exalted than we tend to believe.